Open Ethernet Initiative - using Linux as the foundation of a networking OS - Matty Kados

Abstract

The current landscape of proprietary Ethernet switches and e-switches limits the foundation of compute and storage clouds and Web 2.0 infrastructures. The “Generation of Open Ethernet” initiative requires a networking operating system that enables both invocation of independent development while leveraging the strength of an open source community..

Linux as the foundation for most of the commercial networking stacks is a nature candidate for driving both legacy switching and routing applications and the most recent innovation for overlay networks, flow steering and SW defined networks. A Fully Linux base open source switch OS, with the addition of a generic HW acceleration SW interface, will give flexibility with the best performance while delivering higher value and differentiation and will provide a uniform OS for Ethernet switch/router boxes as well as host virtualization embedded NIC switch/route(eSwitch)

In this talk we will discuss on the following topics:

What is the correct way to model both eSwitch and network legacy switch in the Linux kernel/ user model?

Open Vswitch vs. Linux bridge models?

How to provide a full .1Q support?

Best ways to reflect iptable ebtable configuration to HW?

What is the right model for running network protocols (e.g. xSTP, LACP, QCN) in the kernel/ user Linux architecture?